Comments on: Ornamental Grasses: How to Prune Miscanthus, Stipa, and More

By: Where to Toss the Weeds? Buckets and Bags to Hold Garden Waste | North Coast Gardening

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:50:04 +0000

[...] on, or things that aren’t too heavy to lift, like autumn leaves or the mass of leaves from pruning Miscanthus grass. Be sure and set your branches going all in one direction so the tarp’s easy to lift and carry. [...]

By: Genevieve

Genevieve — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:14:02 +0000

That happens sometimes Mandy. They respond just OK to pruning back hard. If the whole plant looks bad, do it, but feed them and be willing to replace the plant if need be.

I usually just grab small sections of the grass, and prune out small bundles at a time – removing about 1/6 of the plant every two-three months till they fill in with lots of fresh new growth. At the same time, make sure it is getting adequate water and fertilizer, preferably slow-release organic, to stimulate fresh new growth.

Hope that’s helpful.

By: mandy goodread

mandy goodread — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 09:47:46 +0000

Hi i am a big fan of grasses started using them 2 years ago when one of my customers wanted a garden planted with them , my problem is i planted five newzealand wind grasses they were beautiful but have become brown and dry at the tips .Can i trim these off or do they need feeding thanks Mandy

By: Karen

Karen — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 08:26:24 +0000

Oh, I am late with my miscanthus this year! It’s such a pain, and I have two actually, that I always put it off too long. Tip for pruning back dead foliage on pampas grass – wear full Kevlar body armor! OK, at least long sleeves and gloves that fully cover your wrists. And maybe protective glasses too. Eek! Great post!
Karen´s last blog ..SAGBUTT Saturday – February 27 at CUH

By: Genevieve

Genevieve — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:26:50 +0000

Thank you so much for your kind words and the link, Iona! I’m honored to be included in your excellent discussion of Phormiums.

By: iona

iona — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:39:27 +0000

We just don’t have enough ornamental grasses in our garden and this post has given us the needed incentive to go for it. I linked to this post under my discussion of Phormiums. Once again, thx for the best info!!

By: Genevieve

Genevieve — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 05:22:40 +0000

Anna, I love the vision I have in my head of you flinging those big stacks of grass into the back of the truck! Yay for us strong gals!!!

Frances, thanks for the great advice about Muhly Grass. We don’t actually grow it very well here because of our wet weather, so I’m glad to know how to treat it in case I come across a rogue patch that is happy (and in well-draining soil!).

Fern, it’s hard to say for sure without knowing the variety, but once you cut the tips off the rest will usually die down, so I’d probably just cut them back entirely and then perhaps give them a half dose of organic fertilizer since you are in a nice warm climate, right? But gosh, I’d hate to tell you wrong and I may be, not knowing which grass it is.

Does it have big floofs for flowers? In summer, is it green, orange, purple? How big does it get? (I’m trying to be a plant detective here).

One of the common pretty ones I didn’t mention is Pennisetum, which grows well in your climate, I think! Those are safe to cut if it isn’t freezing where you are at, even if they haven’t died down entirely. (It varies widely if they are safe to cut elsewhere – some species are tender and so shouldn’t be cut yet, others are hardy and fine.)

By: Fern

Fern — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 03:49:08 +0000

I was just wondering about how to prune some grasses I planted at my parents' house. I cut off the dead tips, but didn't cut them all the way down since they weren't already dead. It sounds like I should have waited for the grass to die all the way down? Fern’s last blog post..My Favorites From Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

By: Frances

Frances — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 20:49:01 +0000

Hi Genevieve, wonderful information here on many grasses. I would add the muhly grass, Muhlenbergia capillaris, cut it back in January also. The tip about the blue oat grass, I was hoping you would include that one, it it like detangling hair. I like to use both hands and really give it combing, good stuff for the compost and the grass looks so neat a BLUE! Frances at Fairegarden Frances’s last blog post..Bloom Day January 2009-Few But Faire

By: Anna/Flowergardengirl

Anna/Flowergardengirl — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 04:53:37 +0000

Great post. I do like you suggest-----when I cut my grasses back, I first tie a big rope around the top or in sections if it's a really big clump. Then you pick up the clumps and we throw them in the back of our truck. They get hauled down to the city compost. Anna/Flowergardengirl’s last blog post..Planting Time At The Nurseries